Tūwharetoa Solar Project.

TLC applied for funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) through the Public and Māori Housing Renewable Energy Fund to trial renewable energy solutions that improve the wellbeing of people in public and Māori housing.

TLC, THCT, and Maru agreed to collaborate to:

1. Commission the installation of solar panels on four selected homes.
2. Install three new hot water cylinders.
3. Share the surplus solar energy generation to five selected homes through a peer-to-peer software platform.

Assist with the collection of data to analyse the impact of this project.

Up to 16 solar panels on each home, which are REC branded units with a 370W power output.

They have a 25-year warranty.

Yes, at the end of the 12-month pilot.

No – TLC have designed the project and are managing the delivery of the pilot with THCT and Maru.

The recipients are people that have been short listed by THCT and Maru. Part of the trial is to see how different hot water cylinders respond to using the distributed energy (solar) and how much actual energy savings can be achieved.

The homeowner will own the new hot water cylinder.

This will be the homeowners responsibility.

The homeowner receives all the power they can use from the solar panels, any extra power that is generated is gifted to another household on the pilot.

No, the homeowner owns the power.

No fees are charged to the participants for the peer-to-peer software platform.

All participants will use Ecotricity as their energy retailer as they are partnering in the development of the platform.

THCT and Maru are working together to shortlist recipients with kaumātua and tamariki as a priority, where possible. The final selection for solar installation will be made by the solar installer inspecting the properties for suitability.

No, this decision is made by the THCT, Maru and the solar installer.

There are no batteries, any surplus energy generated is shared, not stored.

Yes. For a period of 12-months any surplus power that is generated must be shared. After the pilot has finished, the homeowner can use their assets for any purpose the like.

Just the normal line charges, as billed by the participants electricity retailer.

Nothing, there are no immediate or ongoing costs for any homeowner or participants. There are no contracts, fees or ongoing costs after the project has ended.

Each installation has an inverter and an export/import meter installed.

No – the initial selection was done based on households that already had the necessary infrastructure to export the amount of energy that the solar panels generate.

There will be an App or website that can be accessed where participants can see the generation.

The peer-to-peer software platform and smart meter monitor the import and export of energy in real-time. This is something completely new to the New Zealand electricity market. That is why this trial is so important. Ecotricity is our partner in providing this service for the trial.

No.

Working with THCT is an opportunity for us to work alongside one of the largest healthcare service providers on our network to make a meaningful difference for customers. Developing a peer-to-peer software platform which will enable our community to share power amongst themselves is one way we can give back to our customers. Being an energy enabler is an important part of what we do here at TLC.

It supports TLC’s four strategic pou designed to help people thrive. The project will make energy more accessible for our community. Utilising renewable energy and communities’ ability to share it is the most sustainable way forward. By utilising our network to share energy this is far more efficient than other expensive options like batteries. Our community’s energy demands are rising, and decarbonisation could cause a rise in inequality. This pilot will help the sharing of energy – growing communities’ ability to generate power in the places that are best suited to area’s that are suited for solar and then sharing that energy to others on the network.

This kaupapa supports the focus on long-term whānau wellbeing and enables regional development for the people of Tūwharetoa.

This project is limited to nine households. Once the pilot is complete, we will be able to discuss the opportunity for further participants and are willing to work with organisations to secure funding for similar projects.

We believe recipients will benefit in several ways including reduced energy costs, greater accessibility to energy, and improved wellbeing. Participants will also be supporting the country’s push for cleaner energy solutions by using electricity generated from the sun’s renewable resource. This also supports energy education through our communities and rohe.

It is a platform which enables the people to allocate or gift excess energy to chosen households. Basically, it is where one customer can nominate other customers who are with the same electricity retailer (Ecotricity) to share their surplus energy with.

No, the lines portion of the charges remain as we still need to operate the network, including the power lines which take the excess power away from the solar panels and return it to the households receiving it.

For the duration of the pilot, all participants are required to have Ecotricity as their retailer.

The solar panels are under the manufacturer’s warranty. However, the panels need to be cleaned to ensure they produce the most energy possible. The households will learn how to maintain the panels with support from the installer/supplier, TLC & THCT.

The peer-to-peer platform shares energy in real-time, so when the sun is shining on the panels, and they are producing energy, the energy is being shared. Shared energy will be shown as a credit on the bill from Ecotricity.

No once the trial is complete participants will be able to export all the surplus power and get paid for it. The solar panels and all they produce will be owned by the participants.